Sous-vide is a method for cooking that is intended to maintain the integrity of ingredients by heating them for an extended period of time at relatively low temperatures. Food is cooked for a long time, sometimes well over 24 hours. Unlike cooking in a slow cooker, sous-vide cooking uses airtight plastic bags placed in hot water well below the boiling point of water, typically around 60° C.
There are sous-vide devices available in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,337 to Vilgrain et al. (“Vilgrain”) teaches a sous-vide reheating device that includes at least two water heating chambers with each chamber having a heating device and a thermostat for controlling the temperature of the water in the chamber. The sous-vide device of Vilgrain includes an agitation mechanism to circulate the water in each chamber. Each chamber of Vilgrain is preferably divided into a plurality of sub-chambers with each sub-chamber having an associated timer to measure the amount of time elapsed for that sub-chamber. The device may include a plate storage and warming mechanism and has a work-space for preparing the sous-vide foods for service to consumers.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,381 to Hawn (“Hawn”) teaches a convection meat cooker characterized by an elongated, cylindrical cooker tank which is provided on a portable cooker frame and includes concentric outer, middle and inner shells. The inner shell of Hawn defines an interior cooking chamber which is hermetically sealed by a door hinged to the outer shell at one end of the cooker tank. A cylindrical, annular heat chamber is defined between the middle and inner shells throughout the length of the cooker tank. A heat entrance port of Hawn extends from the middle shell and receives a propane-fueled burner for heating the cylindrical heat chamber and a heat exit port vents excess heat from the annular heat chamber. During operation, as the annular heat chamber is heated by the burner, Hawn teaches that heat is uniformly produced throughout the sealed cooking chamber by convection from within the annular heat chamber, which causes meat in the cooking chamber to cook quickly, in a partial vacuum, minimizing loss of natural moisture from the meat.
While there are methods and devices available for cooking food items, there is a need for improved methods and devices for cooking food items.